Reciprocating conveyer.



No. 684,062. Patented Oct. 8,' I90L; L. D. HOWARD.

BEOIPBDGATING CONVEYER.

(Application filed May 7, 1900.)

.2 Sheets-Sheet l.

ava mr.

42 100620501- mm 0a (No Model.)

parts of the conveyer.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN D. HOIVARD, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPII A. JEFFREY, OF SAME PLACE.

RECIPROCATING CONVEYER.

sPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 684,062, dated October 8, 1901.

Application filed May '7 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYMAN D. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oolu mbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reciprocating Conveyers, of which the following is a specification, reference,being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a conveyer embodying my improvements, some parts being here shown more or less conventionally and some being broken away. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of part of the conveyer on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of that in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan View. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the action of the hoe when the carrier is moving backward. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing its action when impinging on an obstruction while moving forward.

In the drawings a main frame or support is shown at A A, arranged to hold by suspension the trough or guideway containing material to be propelled and also supporting by suitable intermediate devices the operative In the construction illustrated these parts A A are I-beams of proper dimensions for the intended purpose. To their lower flanges are secured brackets B B, which droop downward,-and upon the central parts of which are placed the sections of the trough O O. The bottom of this rests upon the brackets, and the side walls are provided with flanges c, which are secured to supplemental brackets b, fastened to the main ones at B.

The conveyer proper is indicated as a whole by D and is constructed as follows: E E are side bars adapted to reciprocate longitudinally and extending the length of the conveyor, preferably formed of angle-irons and spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the trough 0. These may be regarded as one of the principal parts of the movable carrier or support for the flights or hoes. They are suspended in such way as to minimize friction and render their reciprocations easy. At suitable intervals each bar E is provided with an upwardly-extending trackbar having the track part proper, F, and the Serial No. 15,802. (No model.)

legs f, the latter being riveted to the vertical flanges e of the side bars E. As abpve noted, the main frame A also furnishes the final support for the moving parts of the conveyer, the frame-beams having boxes g bolted to them, wherein is mounted a transverse shaft G, there being one such shaft at each place of support for the conveyer. Upon this shaft are rollers or wheels H, flanged as at h. Upon the rollers rest the aforesaid track-bars F, and it will be seen that the carrier-bars E can be moved forward and back with their weight carried upon the rollers at H.

The flights, hoes, 0r scrapers are each constructed and arranged as follows: I is a loop or link, preferably formed by bending a strap or rod to have the two arms 1 't' and the crossbar 2''. The arms 't' of each link are pivoted at i to the cross-rod J ,which extends from one side bar E to the other and is secured to them in such way as to serve both as a brace for said side bars and also serve as a part of a hinge-like support for the loop or link I. K indicates the hoe proper or scraper. It is carried by one of the links I, but is preferably connected thereto by aholder which can rock relative to the link on a comparatively short radius. To accomplish this, I prefer to em ploy a short supplemental loop or linkL, having legs Z and a transverse part Z, the legs Z being pivoted at Z to the side arms '6 of the link I. The hoe or scraper K is riveted to the cross-bar Z of this supplemental link, and the latter is so positioned relative to the cross-bar 't' of the main link I that when the hoe swings backward to a certain point it or its supplemental link L impinges upon the cross-hart of the main'link and is stopped in its'motion in that direction relatively to'the main link; but the whole can swing forward on its pivot at 1 Thus it will be seen that from this means of support for the hoe it is capable of several desirable movements. When it is advancing under the movement of the side bars E E, it will be locked against the cross-bar 1 and be capable of relative movement only around the axis at t of the main link I, and because of this capability I insure that the hoe can rise upward freely enough to escape any obstacle of such resistance as to endanger it and yet have it (the hoe) held in such way that under ordinary loads it will stay down in its working position.

By having the supplemental joint for the hoe provided by the link L, I permit the hoe to swing or fold up into a relatively high horizontal plane, so that in coming back it can readily pass over articles behind it and over large masses of material-in fact, the two joints permitting the hoe to rise over the mass reaching the top of the trough.

Heretofore in reciprocating conveyers it has been customary to interpose between the reciprocating carrier or support and the hoe a joint having but a single transverse axis fixed as to said reciprocating support or carrier, and consequently because of the rigidity or relatively limited movement of the hoe it has been impracticable to employ conveyers of this sort for transporting heavy material or material in such large masses that they could be used economically in competition with the conveyers having endless and continuouslymoving'carriers, although it has long been recognized that there are numerous features of superiority incident to those of the reciprocating class. I have overcome this rigidity in the hoe-attachment parts by employing devices such as I have described, which can be so proportioned and adjusted as to allow the hoes to accommodate themselves to the load which they can carry and to pass over or escape from that which would be excessive and amount to an obstacle.

Another important feature incident to this construction and which I have found to assist the hoes in easily moving backward and in taking their loads properly consists in shaping them so that each has two parts and k, the lower part being inclined forward at an angle considerably greater than that at it. This iusures that the free bottom edge of the hoe shall rise above the material behind'it without requiring the elevation of the entire hoe as far as would otherwise be necessary and at the same time brings this lower part of it into such relation to the main axis at t as to cause the lower part to cut into and keep well under the mass of material which it is to propel.

It will be understood that a conveyer of this sort can be made indefinitely long, the length depending upon the power available and the dimensions and strength of the parts.

I am aware that it has been proposed to construct reciprocating conveyers with single central longitudinal reciprocating supports or hoe-carriers in combination with a series of antifriction suspending rollers arranged singly and centrally, each roller having an annular radial web projecting from the center of its tread and fitting in a guide-slot above and below; but the present construction is intended for work beyond the capacity of a mechanism such as referred to. I aim to relieve the hoes and their immediately-connected reciprocating carrier from the excessive torsion and twisting strains necessarily experienced by a cent-rally-suspendcd con vcyer. I provide a strong suspension-frame which is quadrangular in transverse section, there being bracing and binding bars at f, which hold the top track-bars F firmly t0- gether,the width of this suspension-frame being greater than that of the trough, so as to provide an extended base to receive the strain. Consequently I can propel the heaviest of ordinary materials and load the hoes to their utmost capacity.

I herein describe thehoe as longitudinally swinging, referring to the fact that it swings at proper times in the vertical longitudinal planes of the conveyer in contradistinction from swinging laterally transversely to the said planes and in contradistinction from its being held fixed in the said planes. I also refer to the fact that the hoe is movable bodily vertically, meaning that not only the hoe proper, but also the carrier or holder which directly supports it--as, for instance, in the present construction its hinge-bar device at Z P-moves up and down bodily, or, in other words, that its axis is capable of shifting vertically. It will also be seen that it not only thus moves bodily vertically, but that it does so in longitudinal planes other than those of the carrier, for the hoes or flights are situated between the two side parts of the carrier and are adapted to rise and fall between them.

That I claim is-- 1. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of a reciprocating hoe carrier or support, a hoe or scraper and a connecting device having two transverse hinges for the hoe interposed between it and the carrier, sub stantially as set forth.

In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating hoe-carrier, the hoe and the two-part connecting device, one part being transversely hinged to the carrier, the other part being secured to the hoe, and. both parts being transversely hinged together, substantially as set forth.

3. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, the hoe and the backwardly-extending link connectedto the hoe and hinged in front of the hoe to the carrier, substantially as set forth.

t. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, and the bodily rising and falling hoe, connected to the carrier, substantially as set forth.

5. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combi nation of the reciprocating carrier, the longi tudinally-swinging hoe and the vertically swinging hinge for the hoe, substantially as set forth.

6. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier and the hoe connected to the carrier and movable bodily vertically in longitudinal planes other than those of the carrier, substantially as set forth.

7. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier having the side bars and the bodily rising and falling hoe situated between the side bars and connected to the carrier, substantially as set forth.

8. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier and the longitudinally-swinging and vertically rising and falling hoe connected to the carrier, substantially as set forth.

9. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, the hoe and the two links, one link pivoted to the carrier, onelink connected to the hoe, and the two links being -pivoted together, substantially as set forth.

10. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, the hoe, and the two-part connecting device, one part being hinged to the carrier, the other part being secured to the hoe, and both parts being hinged together, and a stop for limiting the relative movements of the parts of the connecting device, substantially as set forth.

11. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, the hoe,

other to limit their relative movement, substantially as set forth.

12. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combination of the reciprocating carrier, the hinge mechanism connected to the carrier and the hoe connected to the hinge mechanism and formed in two parts as at 70, 70 at an angle to each other, substantially as set forth.

13. In a reciprocating conveyer, the combi* nation of the reciprocating carrier, the hoe, and the vertically-movable connecting device for the hoe connected to it at or near both of its ends and also joined to said carrier, sub stantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LYMAN D. HOWARD,

Witnesses:

J. RALPH ORWIG, THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

